


Bringing back that silver gleam

by skyblxssom



Category: Gintama
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gekijouban Gintama Kanketsu-hen: Yorozuya yo Eien Nare | Be Forever Yorozuya, Gen, an attempt in writing out a missing scene, everyone just wants to save that stupid perm, loads of feels all around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23845450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyblxssom/pseuds/skyblxssom
Summary: For the villain that brought destruction to the world as well as its savior, they're going to smash this future and bring him back.(Alternatively: Everyone rallies together to save their silver haired perm head)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 46





	Bringing back that silver gleam

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! It's definitely been awhile since I last wrote something proper for this fandom. Simply put, life got busy, I'm trying to finish my internship and then everything else in the world happened. Gintama became my go to comfort series again, I rewatched the movie and felt the desire to write out a possible scene on what happened before everyone went back to the past. 
> 
> This is a piece that I'm writing together with kadieden since she's super awesome in following with my whims haha. Well, to be more accurate, it's kind of like us roleplaying, put through the minimum amount of effort of editing to try and fit it into a story format before sharing it here. It's a bit difficult of us to juggle around different characters so the voices might not be entirely accurate. Still, we hope it'll be an enjoyable read!

Fifteen years is a long time. 

A war fought and lost. Amanto occupying land once claimed by the samurai. Advances of technology became a double edged sword. Humans grieved for their losses and feared for the unknown future. Ultimately life moves on regardless.

This peace that lazily envelops the city now-- they know that it's only possible because a man with a silver soul decided to sacrifice himself for the greater good. 

No one remembers him. That's what time dictates but. 

A splash of silver across the canvas can't be erased so easily. Even when new colors cover every inch of it, chipping the surface will still reveal what's underneath. 

Their purpose now fulfilled, they waited fifteen long years for the time that they can bring back that silver gleam. 

Rust had long since settled into their joints. With each step they take, the creaking sound begs for oil to lubricate all the little bolts and wedges keeping them intact. It had been difficult to remain functional, even more so in preserving the precious keepsake left in their hands. It's all worth it for the moment that they can act, not out of duty but of their own free will. 

Walking down the familiar street, they spot the pair from a distance. Knelt in front of Otose's Snack Bar with tears and confusion evident on their faces, the Time Thief smiles. 

_ It's time. _

"It's been fifteen years since that day." 

Perhaps if they had a heart, it would beat rapidly at the knowledge that finally, they can fix the past for the future that he deserves to be a part of. 

"Now I act not to save the world, but to save you."

As the video camera is taken off, revealing green hair, peeled off paint and a non functioning eye, Tama knows that she's  _ happy _ . She lifts the strip of film that can change everything.

"With the data I still possess."

* * *

Kagura skids to a stop in front of the Odd Jobs apartment, panic settling in when she looks up. It no longer reads  _ Yorozuya Gin-chan _ as some foreign script takes the place of their beloved sign and everything it stands for. 

Shinpachi’s words mirror her own heartbreak and she screams right along with him. She falls to her knees, aware of him doing the same next to her.

No, no, no! They didn’t wait so long to see him again just to lose him...

But all too quickly it slips away like sand between their fingers and leaves them wondering where they are and what they’re possibly doing crying in the middle of the street...?

A loud creaking and a voice draws their attention and they both turn to see a... man? Machine? A strange amanto perhaps? It has a human build but its head is... a video camera of all things. It’s beaten and battered like it’s been through the ringer but then it’s removing it like a helmet, its owner a pretty, green haired android that seems familiar but unplaceable until she holds up a strip of film. As they peer closer they hardly have time to ask who she is, what she means, or why she’s showing it to them before a stream of memories slams into them, flashing in their mind’s eye just like those on a film reel. 

They recall each moment spent together as the Yorozuya and leading up until a moment ago... remembering everyone they never would’ve met without that one of a kind stupid samurai who’s so dear to them. Scenes of laughter, tears, of working endless crazy jobs, not getting paid but it being worth every penny they lost and never made just to be together... because this was  _ home _ . This was  _ family _ .

_ Oi, what are you brats sniveling for?  _

_ Gin-san.  _

_ Gin-chan.  _

Her heart is bursting and her cheeks are wet again, Shinpachi’s too when she looks over. They each produce their own film strips and slowly fit it to the one Tama still holds out to them. Kagura’s lip trembles until she bites it but she can’t hold back, throwing her arms around Shinpachi and Tama as they sob anew. After a moment they pull away, sharing a nod and determined glance.

“We don’t want anything to do with this future...” He says fiercely.

“...if he’s not in it!” She finishes, just as firm in her resolve. 

Tama smiles as they wipe their faces and stand. They need to get back to him somehow. 

“Take us to wherever, whenever, Gin-chan is!”

* * *

Tama approaches the pair, carefully going down on one knee, uncaring of the scene they're making. Their eyes are proof enough that memories forged through tight knit bonds are not so easily forgotten. 

Kagura and Shinpachi raises their own strip that rematerialized now that they are made aware of the erased timeline. Fresh tears leaked out and Tama finds herself in the middle of a fierce hug, simply holding onto the pair as they sobbed.

Their determination makes her smile. She knows that with them and all the friends that they have, it's not a stretch to say that they can smash this empty future. 

"For us to make that happen, we have to make the necessary preparations first," she says as they helped her up. "Gintoki-sama had been transported back in the midst of a war. It is important for us to gather as many allies as we can if we want to increase our chances of success."

Her gaze turns to Otose's Snack Bar. One could say that there's a fond light in her functioning eye. "We should start by reminding Otose-sama. Having a base of operations would help, and having her with us should make it easier for us to meet Gengai-sama. He is the one who can fix me and rebuild the time travel machine to bring us back to the past." 

(And perhaps a stored piece of data within her sparks at the thought of seeing Otose again).

“Okay, let’s go.” Shinpachi replies and Kagura agrees. 

There's no time to waste so they head into the Snack Bar.

“Oi, baba!” Kagura cries, slamming the door open, reminiscent of her missing earth dad. 

Shinpachi apologizes profusely and tries to hush her, reminding her they don’t even remember them and she’s just some strange girl busting into the shop. Outwardly she ignores the ranting pair of glasses but the continued return of the long lost straight man has her feeling all kinds of things. Despite their differences she had missed it.

“Everybody out! We have important business here!”

There were only two patrons this early in the day but they took one look, seemed to decide they were trouble, and made themselves scarce. 

“Eh? Who do y-“

Catherine looks startled for a few seconds and while Otose frowns disapprovingly like she’s preparing for a major lecture for driving away her customers. She’s cut off as Kagura heads up to her with purpose and takes an old wrinkled hand. 

“You have to listen to us!” She pleads. 

Shinpachi sighs at her approach but nods beside her.

“Please, Otose-san.” He bows low and his voice cracks. “Hear us out.”

It hurts seeing no recognition in her eyes as she scans their faces curiously and takes a drag of her cigarette... just like when they’d run into the Mayora on the way here. They have to fix it. They have to. Catharine starts bitching loudly but Otose silences her with a hand before eyeing them up. She exhales, motioning for them to explain and Kagura turns anxiously to the robot maid quietly observing.

She joins them at a slower pace, crossing the threshold of the building that she had many fond memories of. Not much had changed even in this timeline. The shelves were still lined with cheap alcohol, Otose-sama still picked up Catherine from the streets and she still had that kind heart she was so accustomed to based from her memory banks. 

It's good that she's willing to listen to their explanations despite their rude entrance. Finding that the spotlight is on her, Tama approached Otose-sama on creaky feet. 

She wasted no time in pulling out the strip that triggered previous memories. Tama could project the stored data on the screen if she needed to but at this moment, she calculated that with how close Otose-sama was with Gintoki-sama, this is probably enough. 

"Otose-sama, what you are seeing on this strip are people that you know very well. Especially the one with the silver hair. He's Sakata Gintoki-sama, the renter on your top floor, the one who ran Yorozuya Gin-chan with Kagura-sama and Shinpachi-sama, and someone that we want to save."

* * *

The third member of the strange trio that just so rudely barged into her shop shuffles forward, machinery groaning with each heavy step until she stands before her. Otose looks at her, this droid with long green hair... and feels an immediate fondness she can’t explain. At her age she knows better than to ignore it and yet for the life of her she can’t place her. 

What’s all this now? Talk of a different renter? But that’s not possible...

Her brow creases slightly as she lets her say her piece, surmising the other two must be Kagura and Shinpachi. These children... those names... she doesn’t understand but has a creeping feeling that she should. Sakata Gintoki...

She leans over to look at what she’s holding up. Her thin penciled brows shoot up towards her hairline when it looks like some sort of S and M scene straight from the love hotel district. A hefty man tied up and sitting on a horse, being soundly beaten...

“Yorozuya Gin-chan? What kind of ridiculous business is that? Sounds like a scam to me.” Catherine chimes in. “As long as I’ve been around there’s never been anyone living here by that name. Tell them Otose-san! This red haired brat probably just wants us to buy something...”

Said redhead growls at that and the glasses boy holds her back but Otose hardly notices as the images start to flicker and change... 

“Shut it!” She grips Catherine’s arm and yanks her in to see if she’s experiencing something similar. “Look!”

“All I see is a bunch of perverts? I told you they w-“

_ Finally going senile, old hag? _

Otose blinks, a lazy drawl echoing in her mind. How something so rude could bring a tear to her eye in an instant she doesn’t know... but then the images whir by into something smoother... flooding her brain with an endless sea of silver... 

A cemetery in winter, pale curly hair almost buried by the white fall of snow... Struck by those eyes, the unusual color, yes, but profoundly sad and perhaps the loneliest she’d ever witnessed. There was nothing else to do but take him home and give him a chance... a hundred... over and over. Scenes of everything after that came to be because of that meeting... everyone they met and learned to care for as their own soon follow. An unbelievably obnoxious yet incredibly sweet presence filling her life until it overflowed with craziness and love. A new family. 

Especially dear was the one with the silver hair... Sakata Gintoki... 

When it stops her heart is beating fast and Catherine is pretending she isn’t crying into her shoulder. Otose managed to retain her cigarette and takes a deep drag as she pats her on the back, hand a little shaky from more than age. She uses the moment to collect herself then dabs at crinkly wet eyes before lifting them to look fondly on the children. All of them. Saved and collected by the silver stray she once had the privilege to meet and take in. How could they have forgotten so much? 

Kagura and Shinpachi exchange ecstatic looks before she finds herself with an armful of the redhead. She merely pats her back, warmth seeping in now that the emptiness she never knew existed is filled with the love that she had for this band of troublemakers. Her gaze turns to Tama, weathered and rusted and still like a daughter to her. 

“Well. You said something about saving the brat. What did he do this time? I need my rent money after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> Simply put, we're writing this story as we go along with the roleplay. How will it go? How will it end? We've got a basic plot and a lot of winging it going into this. This story will be updated when we have a considerable amount of scenes written out. Hopefully that won't take too long haha!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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